The sun is already low over Puget Sound. It's a brisk afternoon, and I shudder.

"Is it the wind, or the evening?" Sevario asks.

We're sitting outside, and soon the bus boys will come to turn on the lamps. But for now, light plays the water's ripples like a mandolin, a thin vibrato across Elliott Bay. Then the gulls interrupt.

And I'm a little nervous.

We're spending the night here before we make the drive back to South Bend. I'm feeling virginal and I'm sitting across from a man who is a question mark, a question mark I'm feeling crazy for, and I don't know what to ask.

That makes me nervous.

"A little of both, but I have seen darkness before." Too many months of the year.

Fortunately, the salads arrive, and Sevario tells me a little more about his conference.

"I still don't get how a travel writer ends up covering Microsoft."

"I needed a way to see you. Do I sound crazy?" He is laughing. It is unreal. If this were a movie, something terrible would happen right now. Or something wonderful--that no one would believe.

"Very resourceful." Time to take another bite, sip some wine. Yes, I am the awkward girl.

"And I'm glad you came. But you know--"

"Shhhh-- let's eat and enjoy this. Oh, and let me tell you what they served for lunch."